Jacksonville Humane Society

Florida Leaders in Lifesaving: JHS is a no-kill shelter and we work in partnership with our municipal city shelter, Animal Care and Protective Services, to keep Jacksonville a no-kill city. In 2023, 90% of the animals who entered a shelter in Jacksonville left alive. This is the highest percentage of any county relative to our size in Florida. The Jacksonville Humane Society's (Florida) Leaders in Lifesaving Program provides training and support to animal welfare organizations throughout the state of Florida while inspiring collaborative solutions that engage the hearts, hands and minds of local communities to unite and save the lives of shelter animals. Currently, the state of Florida is the fourth worst in the nation for lifesaving of shelter pets. According to the most recent data for 2024, 316,213 pets entered shelters, 264,048 left alive and 24,670 were killed. The Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) is dedicated to changing this and decreasing shelter deaths by continuing our statewide effort to unite, inspire and engage communities to create solutions that save lives. Our program, Florida Leaders in Lifesaving, will accomplish this by decreasing intake, increasing live outcomes and supporting community needs. JHS knows from our experience in turning Jacksonville into a lifesaving community that success comes from collaboration. By building collaborative efforts within each community, JHS seeks to inspire, unite and engage organizations to continue lifesaving impacts. Our goal is to set each area up for success and then support them on their road to sustainable lifesaving practices, so that they can one day mentor others, too. With your assistance, this collaborative lifesaving effort will create measurable impacts in the state of Florida, and most importantly, save lives.

JHS has a successful volunteer program. In 2023, volunteers provided nearly 20,000 hours of service for our organization. Among these volunteers are our students from the North Florida School of Special Education and the Jacksonville School for Autism. JHS also has a unique program with students from Frank H. Peterson High School to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the field of veterinary sciences. JHS has a thriving education program for children. In 2023, more than 3,500 children participated in our camps, field trips and reading program. One of our most popular programs is Pawsitive Reading, where children read to dogs and cats to strengthen literacy skills while helping put animals at ease in the shelter setting.